Apple’s new Eyes Free Siri integration, which will be a part of the iOS 6 software update, has generated quite a buzz since its announcement last week. Part of this is due to the limited amount of information that Apple and its partner manufacturers have provided. Basically, the new feature will allow users to access the iPhone’s personal assistant, Siri, via a voice-command button, and pass your voice from the car’s built-in microphone to the phone. Although Apple mentioned a list of nine automakers it’s working with to implement Eyes Free, few have had much to say about the announcement past generic enthusiasm. Fewer still have been forthcoming with details about how Eyes Free will be utilized or when compatible vehicles will be available. We spoke with engineers from Chevrolet and Mercedes-Benz to find out how Eyes Free will work in their vehicles.

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It’s important to first point out that Siri is a software change, both for the car and the phone, and not one that affects hardware—existing voice-command buttons will be used to access the system through a Bluetooth connection. According to an engineer we spoke to, Apple’s software development includes a refinement in how Siri deals with high amounts of background noise—the in-car’s single mic can pick up road, wind, and engine noise that makes it difficult for Siri to comprehend commands. (In normal use, iPhones have a pair of built-in microphones with noise cancellation that are bypassed by the in-car mic during hands-free operation.) Apple has somehow solved the problem with the iOS6 changes that go along with Eyes Free.

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Once the car and phone are running the correct software and paired over Bluetooth, the actual hardware interaction is fairly simple: The driver presses the voice-command button—usually located on the steering wheel to allow for “eyes-free” operation—and receives the normal Siri prompt over the car’s stereo speakers. The button press will have to be different from the normal momentary tap that brings up control of built-in systems such as navigation. To differentiate between the two types of requests, Chevy will use a press-and-hold (about a second or two) to access Siri; Mercedes has yet to determine the key combo its system will require. Other options we can foresee include a double tap, or maybe spelling Siri’s name with Morse code.

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Chevy already has told us that we’ll see Eyes Free first in the Sonic and Spark equipped with the MyLink infotainment system, while Mercedes will introduce the feature in the mbrace2- equipped A-class in Europe. Benz wouldn’t say which models will be the first in the U.S. to speak with Siri—the new SL roadster is the first car available here to feature mbrace2, so that would seem a logical place to start—but we’re told that all Mercedes vehicles eventually will have the capability.

-Apple says Eyes Free will make its way to market within the next year. Both Chevy and Mercedes tell us that’s a very conservative timeline. Both will have vehicles ready and able to talk to Siri by the end of the year or very early 2013. If both brands are on a significantly earlier timeline, then Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Honda, Jaguar/Land Rover, and Toyota shouldn’t be too far behind.-]]>http://blog.caranddriver.com/siri-integration-explained-how-apples-eyes-free-feature-will-work/feed/0